#MythicalCreatureMonday – Troll

While you might know a Troll best from the fairy tale, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, or even the kid’s movie released by DreamWorks in 2016, they have a long history which started deep in the Scandinavian wilderness. It is said that many of the boulders there were once Trolls that had been turned into stone when exposed to daylight.

Trolls are humanoid creatures with rugged features and tend to steer clear of humans for the most part. They prefer to live in exile in caves or deep in the forest, but they never hesitate to take advantage of someone who isn’t paying attention to his surroundings. Not only will a Troll strip valuables from an unsuspecting traveler, he might also decide to have him for dinner… not over for, but, you know… literally for dinner.

They aren’t generally depicted as bright, unless you count their fluffy colorful hair that topped the dolls so popular in the 60s. That of course is a totally different Troll than the one that showed up in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which is much more along the line of the ones described in Scandinavian Mythology.

Here is a fun scene from the movie that gives you an idea of what you should be steering clear of. Wands at the ready!